Editorial: Doctor to have pride in

Shane Reti is not your average doctor.

His interest in medicine has also led him take a holistic look at community health.

He has examined community health issues such as how to improve appointment rates at public hospitals, and once offered to fund a $70,000 survey on fluoride, out of his own pocket.

Now, Dr Reti has found himself involved in the aftermath of a terrorism attack in Boston.

He has been mandated by the New Zealand Embassy in the US to accompany the consul-general around the five Boston hospitals which took injured from the blast site to see if any of them are New Zealanders.

Dr Reti has also been asked to investigate whether Australians were injured.

He told our reporter Mike Dinsdale the aftermath of the bombing had been surreal and eerie, the spark of a big city such as Boston dimmed.

Dr Reti has lived in Boston for six years.

In 2012, he was promoted to the role of Professor (Assistant) at Boston's prestigious Harvard University.

He had worked in general practice in Whangarei for 17 years, and was a member of the Northland District Health Board for seven years, before being awarded a Harkness Fellowship to Harvard, in 2007.

To have someone from our region involved in bringing comfort to families after the bombing should invoke pride to Northlanders, who should have already felt a sense of pride at the achievements of this extraordinary doctor.